The cannonball mangrove or monkey puzzle nuts (Xylocarpus granatum) is a familiar mangrove species found in the inner sections of rivers all over Palawan shores. Its fruits are just like a pomelo but is not edible to humans.
Although there are places where these mangroves grow in much greater numbers, these are usually seen growing in relatively fewer numbers amongst other much more dominant species of mangrove like Rhizophora spp. and Sonneratia alba. This is because the cannonball mangrove propagates through a fruit that floats with incoming waters making settlement random. Other species like Rhizophora propagate through propagules with tapering ends that get embedded in the soft mud once they fall. This method of propagation allows thick stands to occur.